22nd Annual Pacific Crest Endurance Sports Festival returns to Sunriver with 20 different events including 72.3 BEASTMAN, Olympic & Ultra Sprint Triathlon, Duathlon & AquaBike events, Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K & 5K runs, 28K Trail Run & NEW 50K Trail Run, Two Bike Tours and 3 different Kids races making it the Largest Sporting Event in Central Oregon and the Ultimate RACE-cation event in the West!
Sunriver, OR – This is the premier destination event for athletes and families in the Northwest! Each year, during the last weekend in June, nearly 20,000 people including athletes, volunteers, spectators and vendors from all over the country and across the world converge on beautiful Central Oregon in the town of Sunriver to take part in the Pacific Crest Endurance Sports Festival’s 72.3 BEASTMAN, Olympic & Ultra Sprint Triathlon, Duathlon & Aqua Bike events, the Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K & 5K, 28K Trail Run, new 50K Trail Run, 2 Bike Tours and 3 kids’ races. Thousands of athletes will participate in this EPIC event and many make this an annual tradition to launch into summer break and spend the whole week enjoying Central Oregon making it a RACEcation that families look forward to every year!
For more information, directions and registration – http://whyracingevents.com/event/989
This year marks the 22nd anniversary for this event in Sunriver. As the crown jewel of triathlons, the Pacific Crest 72.3 BEASTMAN Triathlon has become a destination race for pros and other athletes from around the world! Triathletes who have competed have said that this is one of the most scenic, challenging and exciting courses they have raced. Top pros in the sport will be in attendance battling it out for the nearly $5000 Prize Purse.
Exciting news for 2018 – Team in Training has chosen Pacific Crest as one of 30 national events that they will be attending to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. There are currently over 200 Team in Training athletes coming to Pacific Crest from across the country and they have already raised over $275,000. Look for a lot of athletes in purple this year at Pacific Crest as they compete for so much more than just crossing the finish line!
For dedicated runners the challenging Pacific Crest Half-Marathon & Marathon are also picturesque and take place in the surrounding Sunriver areas. The courses wind through the forest and along open meadows and the shimmering Deschutes River, with views of Mt Bachelor. The 5K & 10K Run/Walks were added to provide an opportunity for everyone in the family to have an event to participate in during the Pacific Crest Weekend. These runs alone attract 2000 athletes!
New for 2018 is the 50K Trail Run starting at Wanoga Snow Park and finishing in SR Village. Runners will tackle 1800 feet of elevation with a significant amount of descent into Sunriver Village and a fast and flat finish. Athletes will travel along a variety of trails including single track, dirt roads and paved trails through the forest and will be required to run over boulders, rocks, trees, branches and other obstacles. For athletes who like DIRT, this is the event for them! If 50K is a little too much to tackle, the 28K will offer the same beautiful scenery and only 688 feet of elevation gain with a fast finish into the village.
The Tour de Crest, offers a non-competitive cycling tour perfect for friends and family or any athletes who want to shake out their legs and see parts of the course prior to race day. There are two long bike rides that take place along the very same roads that the professional athletes will travel. It’s a great way for families (able to do long rides of 26 or 55 miles) to take in the amazing scenery and have a great time together. NOTE: The roads used are very well-maintained with little traffic. The routes chosen are also moderate in that they do not include any ultra-steep grades, and the scenery is fantastic, however, these routes are not kid-friendly because of the distance and it is not a closed course.
There is also a Kid’s Splash Pedal-n-Dash for kids ages 12 & under. Staged at the SHARC Rec/Pool Center, and within walking distance from the Athletes Village, kids start the Splash at the SHARC Amphitheater by running through water obstacles. They are then directed to their bikes and are directed out on the run path along Abbot Drive, toward the finish at the Official Finish Line in Athletes Village.
Proceeds from the Kids’ events go to the Three Rivers Care for Kids Foundation which benefits 500+ local children through support of afterschool programs, education enrichment, field trips, science fairs and more. Various other local schools, clubs and non-profits also raise funds by volunteering for the events. In addition, many Central Oregon high school sports groups and non-profit organizations benefit from donations made via this event. Over $50,000 was raised and donated last year as a result of Pacific Crest events!
Pacific Crest includes a Sports & Fitness Expo, kids events, plenty of live entertainment with Hit Machine (a very popular rock band from Portland) playing Friday and Saturday nights, food booths, plenty of vendors, a Deschutes Brewery beer garden and of course the beautiful scenery surrounding Sunriver, Oregon.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The event is still in need of volunteers to support the event. “We work with 800 volunteers over the weekend” says Sherri McMillan, Event Director for Pacific Crest. “If there are any groups, clubs, schools, non-profits that need to raise funds for their program, please contact volunteer@whyracingevents.com to receive all details.
GENERAL EVENT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY JUNE 22nd
- 25K & 50K Trail Run – starts at 7am at Wanoga Snow Park
- Tour de Crest Bike Tours start at 7:30am at SHARC
- Kid’s Splash Pedal-n-Dash for kids ages 12 & under – 4pm start at SHARC
- Fitness Expo in Sunriver Village from 10am-7pm
- Hit Machine Dance Party Friday night at 7-10pm at Village Bar and Grill
SATURDAY JUNE 23rd
- 72.3 BEASTMAN Triathlon, Duathlon & Aqua Bike starting at 8am at Wickiup
- Marathon & Half-Marathon starting at 7am in Sunriver Village
- Fitness Expo in Sunriver Village from 9am-6pm
- Hit Machine Dance Party Friday night at 6-9pm at Village Bar and Grill
SUNDAY JUNE 24th
- Olympic & Ultra-Sprint Distance Triathlon, Duathlon & Aqua Bike starting at 8am at Wickiup
- 5K & 10K Run/Walks starting at 8:30/8:45am at Sunriver Village
- Kids Dashes (1-mile & 1/2-mile) starting at 8am at Sunriver Village
- Fitness Expo in Sunriver Village from 8am-1pm
Registration is now open: http://whyracingevents.com/event/989
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The Pacific Crest Endurance Sports Festival is a production of Why Racing Events, Inc.
